


Best Man

by bedegraine



Category: Merlin (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-07
Updated: 2011-09-07
Packaged: 2017-10-23 12:16:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/250198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bedegraine/pseuds/bedegraine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He may have mentioned, in passing, the idea of driving to Gwen and Lance's wedding to avoid airline expenses, but he had never expected Arthur to take him seriously, or for the idea to manifest itself stubbornly in Arthur's head. And he certainly had not expected to be standing on the curb in front of his apartment at six am one week before the wedding, watching as Arthur piled his battered bags into the backseat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best Man

DAY ONE

The road trip had not been Merlin's idea. By no means had he seriously suggested that he and Arthur take the journey to the opposite coast via Arthur's overly-masculine Jeep. He may have mentioned, in passing, the idea of driving to Gwen and Lance's wedding to avoid airline expenses, but he had never expected Arthur to take him seriously, or for the idea to manifest itself stubbornly in Arthur's head. And he certainly had not expected to be standing on the curb in front of his apartment at six am one week before the wedding, watching as Arthur piled his battered bags into the backseat. The blonde shut the door and turned to face Merlin, grinning profusely and wiping his hands together. Merlin returned his gaze blearily, unmoving.  
"Alright Merlin? Ready to set out?" The cheer in his voice was much too lively for such an early hour, Merlin thought groggily as he blinked at his friend and pulled his sweater tighter around himself.  
"I hate you," was all he said. Arthur only grinned wider, shoving the thinner man gently in the shoulder as he rounded to the drivers side. After only a moment, Merlin sighed and opened his own door, sliding into the passengers seat and immediately closing his eyes. "I really want to tell you again that I was not serious when I suggested this, and I am at the verge of tears thinking about sleeping in the Jeep for a week."  
He heard Arthur's peal of laughter as the vehicle rumbled to life beneath them. "Don't be such a girl, Merlin. And don't be ridiculous, we won't stay in the Jeep every night. I'm sure there's a wonderful selection of roadside motels along our path."  
Merlin chose to sink lower in his seat and attempt comfort rather than comment on how unappealing the entire ordeal remained to be. After a moment of silence, the radio clicked on and Merlin listened to Arthur fumble one-handedly with the iPod converter for a second before the beginning notes of a gentle Death Cab For Cutie song drifted through the speakers. He smiled without opening his eyes and settled with his forehead pressed against the windowpane.  
\--  
When Merlin woke again the music had stopped, and the sun was high in the sky. He straightened up in his seat, stretching, and squinted out his window. Along the roadside the houses had begun to space out, starting the transition from suburb to country.  
"Morning, sunshine," Arthur greeted as he yawned. He ignored the comment and set to digging his water bottle out of his backpack.  
"What time is it?"  
"Almost noon."  
Merlin took a sip of water then placed the bottle in one of the cup holders. "What happened to the music?"  
"Had to turn it off to go through the drive-through," Arthur gestured at the coffee cup in the cup holder next to Merlin's. "Didn't turn it back on in case it woke you. I got you a muffin."  
Merlin sat up a little straighter at the mention of food, and Arthur grinned as he handed over the crinkly brown bag, eyes still on the road. Merlin drew a banana chocolate chip muffin from it's depths and groaned in appreciation, breaking off a bit immediately.  
"Now tell me you love me," said Arthur, still grinning.  
"I love you," Merlin managed around a mouthful of muffin.  
They lapsed into silence as Merlin ate, both staring out at the road ahead of them as it gradually gave way to countryside. Eventually, Merlin reached for the iPod.  
"…Arthur, did you seriously make a playlist called Things Merlin Listens To?" He asked incredulously, resisting a smile. Arthur snatched the player from his hands and selected a song at random. The music started and Arthur put the iPod on the dash, scowling.  
"Well, we needed a working playlist for the trip. You start fights when I put it on shuffle."  
"That was the one time! And really, I can't even comprehend why you would have 'I Feel Like A Woman' on your iPod in the first place."  
Had Arthur been able to turn and glare at his friend then, he would have. As it was, the blonde narrowed his eyes at the road and huffed: "Shut up, Merlin."  
The darker-haired man shook his head and leaned forward to snag the iPod off the dashboard again. He scrolled through the playlist, noting the accuracy of the song selection with a little tug of affection. (Though they spent enough time together that it was perfectly justified for Arthur to have an in-depth knowledge of his music taste; also, Merlin knew that Arthur liked at least half of the songs on the playlist just as much as he did, whether he admitted to it or not.) When he reached the bottom of the list, he scoffed.  
"'Carry On My Wayward Son' is not something Merlin listens to, Arthur. It's your favourite song."  
Arthur shrugged. "I had to balance out all the indie shithead stuff. Also, 'Carry On My Wayward Son' is an amazing song and you love it."  
Merlin did not reply, instead turning up the volume as the song changed. Arthur caught his eye for a second then grinned, and Merlin returned it with ease.  
\--  
Arthur decided they needed to stop for "real nourishment" at 5:30, pulling into one of the small cafés dotting the roadside. He studied the menu intensely while Merlin watched him with vague amusement; he'd never known anyone who took food as seriously as Arthur did. After they'd ordered- with much deliberation on Arthur's part- the blonde turned to him and smiled.  
"Are you enjoying yourself yet?"  
Merlin laughed despite himself. "I still can't believe you convinced me to use all my vacation days for this. You realize I can't take a day off for the next two months, right?"  
Arthur punched him playfully in the shoulder, "You get weekends off anyways, stop your whining."  
Their food came and they ate, talking about Gwen and Lance and cursing them for having their wedding 'half-way across the fucking globe' as Arthur eloquently put, and when their check came they paid and left. As they returned to the Jeep, Arthur tossed the keys to Merlin.  
"Your turn," the blonde slipped in the passengers side, ignoring Merlin's curse.  
"You know I'm an awful driver," Merlin said as he settled in the drivers sear and turned the key in the ignition.  
Arthur smirked. "We're basically in the middle of nowhere. If you manage to run into anything, I will give you a medal." Merlin made a petulant face that earned him a cuff round the ear. "Also, you're crazy if you think I'm driving all the way there and back."  
Merlin sighed indignantly. "It wouldn't be so bad if you had a normal-people car…" He muttered as he manoeuvred the vehicle out of the parking space.  
"What was that?"  
"Nothing."  
\--  
"Merlin."  
"Hmm?"  
"You're swerving again."  
"Mh? Am not. Wait, shit, sorry. It's dark."  
"That's what the headlights are for."  
"I meant… like, late, you know. You know!"  
Arthur laughed and Merlin yawned. "Alright, pull over."  
"No, no, I'm fine. It's only eleven and you wanted to keep going 'til midnight at least, you said. I'm good." He sat up straighter in his chair and gripped the steering wheel tightly, blinking forcefully a few times as if to demonstrate his wakefulness.  
"We won't make it to midnight if you keep falling asleep at the wheel. Pull over, Merlin."  
Merlin shot his friend a look that vehemently denied he'd done any such thing, but complied. Once they were on the shoulder of the road he shut off the ignition, and silence cut through the music that had been playing. Arthur twisted in his seat and reached around to the back, withdrawing two blankets and a pillow. He tossed one of the blankets at Merlin, and, after a second the pillow as well. Because even though he knew Merlin was secretly pleased about their impromptu trip, it was technically still thanks to Arthur that the man was sleeping in a cramped vehicle rather than his own bed. Merlin took the pillow and gave him a look, but said nothing.  
Arthur would regret this decision in the morning, when he woke with a crick in his neck and found Merlin cuddling the pillow to his chest instead of actually using it.  
Now, however, he only smiled and reclined his seat, listening as Merlin fumbled in his attempts to do the same. Arthur watched as Merlin struggled in silent amusement, until he withdrew his hand with an 'Ouch!' and brought his finger to his lips, scowling down at the leather seat as though it had meant to hurt him. The blonde laughed and went to his friends aid, leaning over to reach behind the seat for the lever.  
The angle was awkward, and in his position he was practically pinning Merlin to the leather. He could smell the generic shampoo Merlin used, could feel the man's breath hot against the skin of his neck. For a second he thought about that, a chill running up his spine, then his fingers latched onto something and he pulled.  
The back of the seat jerked away and Merlin went with it, Arthur barely avoiding falling bodily on top of him. The darker-haired man smiled up at him, sinking in and getting comfortable even before Arthur had retreated.  
"Thanks."  
Arthur pulled back and settled himself onto his own seat, turning onto his side. "No problem. Night."  
"Goodnight, Arthur."

 

DAY TWO

"I spy with my little eye something that is… black."  
"I'm driving, Arthur."  
Arthur sighed. "Yes, which means you've got to keep your eyes on the road. So really, that one should have been easy."  
"I hear with my little ear something that sounds a lot like whining." Though Merlin managed to keep the smile off his face, Arthur heard it in his voice.  
"You're just scared… and your ears are nowhere near little."  
Merlin raised an eyebrow, ignoring the jibe at his ears. "Why would I be scared?"  
"I always win," Arthur stated in reply.  
"It's a wonder you manage to fit that massive ego in this car," Merlin remarked. Arthur whacked him upside the head, causing them to swerve fractionally.  
"No hitting the driver," he chastised. "Rule number one."  
"Pssht. You don't get to make rules, this is my car." Arthur settled in his seat importantly.  
Merlin glanced over at him. "You're a prat. If I'm spending six days in this car with you then I am perfectly entitled to making rules."  
"Twelve days actually," Arthur said smugly. "You forgot the return trip."  
His smug grin lilted when Merlin flinched, looking genuinely alarmed. It was true that they spent most of their time together already, and spoke every day (and maybe Merlin had a drawer at Arthur's flat designated for all the things he left there), but perhaps Merlin wasn't looking forward to spending every waking second for the next two weeks together quite as Arthur was.  
Arthur studied his friend, who still looked mindful and a little miserable. He didn't want them to end up on bad terms and he didn't want Merlin to be uncomfortable; Merlin was his best friend.  
"The hotel Gwen picked better have some damn nice beds, then," the darker haired man said finally, breaking into Arthur's angsty haze, and Arthur's uncharacteristic self-awareness dissipated rapidly. Of course Merlin was only thinking about the beds.  
Arthur laughed and added, "With a breakfast buffet," which earned him a grin from Merlin that warmed him from the inside out.  
\--  
"D'you remember the year Lance left?"  
Merlin was still driving, despite many objections and attempts to hand off the responsibility (Arthur had mostly refused just to annoy him), and Arthur was leaning back with his eyes closed. Soft music played as sunlight spilled over the dashboard, lighting up the angles of Arthur's face.  
Merlin glanced over before responding. "Of course I do. Gwen hardly came out of her house for a month." When Arthur said nothing, he added, "He came back though. For her."  
Arthur made a breathy noise somewhere between dismissal and acknowledgement, and Merlin waited for him to speak.  
After a moment, he did. "I just never understood how he could do it. How he could leave her when they were so… in love. You know?"  
Merlin considered it for a moment before responding, "I guess he just realized that he had a chance to do something good for the world. That he could be something bigger than just what he was with Gwen."  
Lance was one of his closest friends, and Merlin didn't resent him for leaving. But he still remembered, with burning clarity, the look of complete devastation on Gwen's face as he had boarded the plane to Indonesia. And he supposed Arthur did too, because the conversation lapsed again. The song had changed again, and Merlin let the music fill their silence.  
When Arthur spoke again, his voice was quiet, "I guess I'm an awful person, then." Merlin looked over at him in lieu of voicing his question, and Arthur met his gaze.  
"I'd never be able to go," he said, and Merlin turned back to the road without responding.  
\--  
When they stopped for Arthur to relieve himself just after three, Merlin refused to continue driving. Arthur, in turn, took the keys and locked Merlin out of the car. He laughed as his friend beat against the window with his fist, scowling. His mouth moved furiously as he shouted things that Arthur could not hear, and the blonde shook his head in mock misunderstanding as he leaned forward to turn up the music. Merlin barred his teeth and, Arthur was pretty sure, actually growled at him. Which only made him laugh harder.  
Narrowing his eyes, Merlin turned on his heel and stomped away from the car, plopping down on the roadside a few feet away from the vehicle and crossing his arms over his chest. Arthur grinned wickedly and settled back in his seat. If Merlin wanted to make it a test of endurance, so be it. He put 'Carry On My Wayward Son' on repeat for good measure, and turned up the volume to be sure Merlin could hear.  
Six plays of 'Carry On My Wayward Son' later, Arthur caught sight of a car in the rear-view mirror. It slowed as it approached, eventually coming to a full stop in front of Merlin. Arthur watched as the driver rolled down the window and a kind-looking middle aged woman leaned out, peering down at Merlin with a concerned expression. She said something and Merlin shook his head, standing and wiping his hands on his jeans. He neared the vehicle and said replied, motioning toward the Jeep and making a few gestures that Arthur took to mean 'my best friend is totally kicking my ass at the childish challenge I have dealt him'.  
The woman laughed and caught Arthur's eye through the windshield. Arthur smiled his most charming smile and she laughed again, then turned back to Merlin and said something else. Arthur watched as his friend blushed and shook his head, glancing over at the Jeep shyly. The woman smiled knowingly and, with one more smile aimed at Arthur, started forward again.  
Merlin took a step back and waved at the back of her car, then turned to fully face the Jeep, a flush still tingeing his neck. Arthur met his gaze challengingly through the windshield and Merlin raised an eyebrow, looking much like one would when disciplining a silly child. Arthur made a show of sighing before leaning over and opening the passengers side door.  
Merlin said nothing as he slid into his seat, but immediately changed the song. Arthur, for some reason, considered that a victory of sorts.  
\--  
That night, Merlin fell asleep clutching the pillow again. When Arthur pulled over, he didn't have the heart to take it. Instead, he used the sweater Merlin had discarded in the back seat, and liked it much better.

DAY THREE  
Merlin was jolted awake by the sound of Arthur's voice. "Merlin, wake up. Look!"  
Merlin cracked an eyelid as Arthur reached over and shook him by the arm, squinting in in the sunlight. The LCD of the Jeeps radio read nine am, and Merlin realised belatedly that they were in motion. He blinked groggily at his friend.  
"Are you listening to Florence and the Machine?"  
"Shut up and look," he pointed through the front window.  
Merlin did. Their surrounding had changed again, and as Merlin looked on the city around them bustled with activity. It took him a moment to see what he was being told to look at, but when he did Arthur laughed at his sharp intake of breath. There were street performers, many of them. People crowded around on the sidewalk, taking pictures and enjoying the early morning as they laughed along with one another. Merlin watched, enraptured, as a woman in a shimmery skirt with short pink hair blew fire into the air. There was a smattering of applause, and Merlin found himself joining in.  
They continued down the street. Merlin twisted in his seat to stare at the performers as they passed, trying to soak in all the action while he could. He watched in the rear-view mirror until they were too far away, then slumped in his seat and let out a long breath, turning his wide eyes towards Arthur.  
"That was brilliant. I'm quitting my job and joining them."  
Arthur's bark of laughter was reflected in his eyes. "Sorry to say, Merlin, but I think running away to join the circus is kindof an outdated dream."  
Merlin didn't react to the jibe, still looking at Arthur with awe, eyes distant and glazed. "Brilliant," he breathed.  
Arthur didn't bother hiding his affectionate smile.  
\--  
They stopped for an early lunch in a diner on the outskirts of the city. After they'd both used the bathroom to change and brush their teeth, they sat and looked over the menu, Arthur again with his odd seriousness. When the waitress came over, he ordered a black coffee for himself first, then a chamomile tea for Merlin. The waitress smiled and nodded, and Merlin scowled at Arthur as she walked away.  
"What if I didn't want chamomile tea?"  
Arthur didn't look up from the menu, deliberating between having a BLT or a cheeseburger. "Did you want chamomile tea?"  
He took Merlin's silence as a yes, and decided to have the burger. He told the waitress so when she returned with their drinks. She set Merlin's tea down before him with a wink. Merlin blushed at that, so Arthur let him order his fish and chips on his own.  
He did, however, catch the waitress by the elbow as she moved to leave again. "With plum sauce, please."  
Merlin's glare was more of a contemplative look this time, and when the waitress came back with their plates, he dipped a fish stick in the plum sauce and bit into it without comment.  
\--

"Arthur, I haven't showered in almost three days. This is verging on disgusting." It was sunset, and Arthur was still driving; mainly because Merlin had saddled him with his most doe-like stare when he'd tried to hand off the keys earlier. The skinnier man picked at his sweater as if to illustrate how unsanitary the entire ordeal was. It was the same sweater Arthur had used as a pillow the previous night.

"You're whining again. Rule number two, no whining."

Merlin looked over at him. "You can't honestly say you're not starting to feel raunchy."

Arthur couldn't deny that the stubble around his neck and jaw was starting to irritate him. "Alright," he conceded, "we'll stop at a motel tonight, then. Okay?" Merlin smiled and turned to look out his window. The dying rays of the sun caught on the pale lines of his neck, lighting them in an almost unnatural glow. Arthur glanced over once, twice, then three times.  
"Arthur!" Merlin called, alarmed.  
He realized that he'd let the Jeep drift into the middle of the road, and turned to face forward again immediately, focusing his attention through the windshield. Merlin laughed. "I guess I'm not the only bad driver, then."  
Arthur looked affronted at his friends grin. "I am an amazing driver, Merlin, and you know it."  
Merlin only laughed again. "Alright, whatever you say."  
Arthur was going to argue, but then Merlin selected The Killers from the playlist and anything he would have said was drowned out.  
\--  
Their selection of motels was limited, so after passing up a rather ramshackle and deserted looking place, they settled for one Merlin pointed out. ("There, that one looks fine. At least it has doors on all its rooms.")  
They pulled in and got their overnight bags from the back before making their way over to the check-in desk. Arthur had to ring the bell twice before a clerk shouted from somewhere that someone would be 'right over'. While they waited, he surveyed their surroundings.  
Night had fallen, bringing with it a chilly bite to the air, and Arthur could see the dark outline of the trees that edged the motel and carpark against the starry sky. They'd reached a stretch of road without street-lights, and the pavement disappeared into blackness in both ways. The single lamp in the carpark flickered, and Arthur raised an eyebrow at Merlin as a clerk materialized from a back room behind the desk.  
"How can I help you gentlemen tonight?" The boy looked no older than nineteen, and Arthur wondered idly if he was even qualified to be running the establishment, which led to him wondering what the qualifications of running a motel might be.  
Merlin smiled politely. "We'd like a room. Just for the night."  
The clerk returned his smile. "Ah, just passing though?"  
"Yep," Merlin nodded, "on the way to some friends' wedding. Driving to avoid the costs of flying."  
The boy inclined his head appreciatively. "Smart men," he said as he clicked a few buttons on the outdated computer in front of him. "A king-sized bed, then?" He asked innocently.  
Arthur spluttered as Merlin laughed outright, then glanced at his dark-haired friend and laughed as well. The clerk looked nervous until Merlin schooled his expression and cleared his throat awkwardly. "We're not- um- we're just travelling."  
"Two singles," Arthur clarified. "Single beds."  
The boys eyes widened and he stammered over his apology, looking absolutely horrified. "Oh- Oh! I'm so sorry, I just- right, two singles, then. Room 126." He held out the door key gingerly, as though afraid Arthur or Merlin might hit him. "So sorry. Please, enjoy your stay."  
Arthur took the key and followed Merlin, who was still repressing a grin, down the hall. When they got to their room, Arthur let them in and Merlin burst into laughter again immediately.  
"Oh, he almost cried. Poor kid…" He shook his head, wiping a hand over his face as he dropped his bag on one of the beds and started towards the bathroom. "Okay, I'm showering first. You always use up all the damn hot water."  
Before Arthur could argue, Merlin had closed the door behind him. Dropping his own bag on the remaining bed, Arthur scowled at the bathroom door. "Yeah, well you leave your wet towels on the floor!"  
He heard Merlin laugh again from within before the sound of running water drowned it out.  
\--

It was much later, after they'd both showered and settled in to sleep (they ended up switching beds because Merlin knew Arthur preferred to sleep closer to the door), that they lay on their respective sides of the room in the darkness. Arthur stared at the ceiling, listening to Merlin's wakeful breathing in silence.  
A part of him wanted to say something, to break the quiet and hear Merlin joke or laugh, to ease the stillness that stretched between them. But a larger part, he found, enjoyed the peace that came from lying wordlessly with Merlin. He'd never had anyone else he could be quiet with, someone who understood his thoughts without him even needing to voice them; it was as though Merlin had one day slipped right under Arthur's skin and into his head. And Arthur felt confident that he, too, had a special understanding of Merlin's mind.  
He remembered when he'd first met Merlin. Being at first indifferent and uninterested in the lanky last-year Uni student. Then steadily growing closer and closer until one day- he wasn't quite sure how it had happened- he found himself ordering chamomile tea with 'just a pinch of sugar, or it'll be too sweet' along with his own morning coffee and calling that same lanky Uni student his best friend.  
And here he lay, almost two years later, with an expanse of knowledge on all that was Merlin, and more than a few memories to account for it. (Like when he'd learned that Merlin was something of a bisexual after the not-physically-imposing man had broken a bar stool over a particularly venomous homophobe's back in one of Arthur's sisters clubs. Or when he'd learned that a drunk Merlin couldn't be trusted to sleep alone in his room after the time he'd rolled out of his bed and smacked his head off the side-table- he had needed six stitches, and Arthur'd begun housing inebriated Merlin on his couch afterwards.) (Or more oftentimes, when they were too intoxicated to care, his bed.)  
"Arthur?" Merlin's voice, soft and drowsy, pulled the blonde out of his reminiscing.  
"Hmm?"  
There was a long moment before Merlin responded, voice softer still and laden with sincerity. "Thank you."  
Arthur had no idea what he was being thanked for, but had the feeling that it was everything. "You too." He found himself saying. "Get some rest, Merlin."  
Merlin hummed an acknowledgement and turned onto his side, away from Arthur.

DAY 4

Merlin drove with his fingers drumming against the wheel, looking at the road with an expression of concentration, lips turned down at the corners and brow furrowed. Arthur sat sideways in his seat, shoulders against the passengers side window and legs crossed.

"Cantaloupe?" Merlin said hopefully, and Arthur shook his head.  
"Nope, try again."  
Merlin pursed his lips. "Cucumber."  
"It's not a fruit, Merlin."  
"I don't think cucumbers are a fruit."  
Arthur sighed in lieu of laughing. "It's not a vegetable either. And you ran out of guesses like… eleven guesses ago."  
"Fine then, what is it?"  
"Carbon Dioxide." The blonde grinned as his friend groaned.  
"You're absolutely impossible. I hate you."  
"You're just mad that I always win." Arthur chirped, still grinning. Merlin took his eyes off the road just long enough to send Arthur a caustic look.  
"Why do you take the fun out of everything ever?" He asked and Arthur laughed.  
"Your go?"  
Merlin considered for a second, then smirked. "Alright. Go."  
Arthur surveyed him briefly. "Are you thinking that I'm a dick?"  
Merlin scowled again, but Arthur saw the smile that was hiding behind it. "Seriously, I fucking hate you."  
\--  
They stopped to eat lunch in a field by the side of the road, Merlin declaring it the 'perfect place to picnic'. The sun was hidden behind a thin veil of clouds, but the air was heavy and humid. They sat in the grass, and Arthur pulled out the cooler they'd been using as a fridge for the past three days. Merlin withdrew a juice box along with a peanut butter sandwich, and Arthur laid on his back with an apple. He closed his eyes and listened as Merlin finished his sandwich then began pulling up grass by the roots, resisting the fond smile that threatened to spill over his lips.  
"Do you think they'll be happy?" Merlin asked suddenly, pausing in his destruction of the field. Arthur squinted up at him until he clarified. "Gwen and Lance. Being married and all." There was something in his voice that Arthur didn't recognize. The blonde frowned.  
"Yeah, I do. You said it yourself, he came back for her. And they love each other. That should be enough."  
Merlin seemed to consider this an acceptable answer. "Maybe we should find someone for Morgana," he said shortly.  
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Are you volunteering?" Merlin looked terrified for a moment and Arthur laughed.  
"So you think they'll be okay?" Merlin asked, lower this time. He held Arthur's gaze as the other man nodded, but looked down at his hands before speaking again. "What about us?"  
Arthur lifted himself onto his elbows. "What do you mean?"  
Merlin looked unsure of himself, and he continued picking at the grass for a moment before answering. "I don't know, it's just…" He stopped and worried his lip. "It feels like the future is right there. Our friends are getting married, and I still barely know what I'm doing most of the time. I have no idea what's going to happen." He raised his eyes again, looking genuinely worried.  
"You are going to be a brilliantly famous journalist," Arthur said without hesitation, "and we're going to get coffee in the mornings, and get drunk in Morgana's clubs at night, and everything will work out wonderfully."  
Merlin didn't know if it was the certainty with which Arthur said it or the conviction in the blue eyes looking up at him, but it tugged something in his chest, raw and intense. The anxious knot in his stomach eased when he thought about Arthur's version of the future; they would be together and everything would be fine.  
His moment of insecurity passed but the ache in his chest lingered, moulding itself into something less like pain and more like love. He glanced up at the sky. "Looks like it might rain," he said simply.  
Arthur pulled himself upright and studied the thickening gray of the clouds. "We should probably keep going, anyways. Or we won't make it in time."  
Merlin stood, dusting his palms on his jeans as he did so, and offered a hand to Arthur. "I think Gwen would kill me," he said as Arthur took his hand and hauled himself up.  
"Probably. She'd have a fit if Lance had to marry without his best man." The broader man smiled, his canines flashing, and slung an arm around Merlin's thin shoulders. When they reached the Jeep, he shoved the cooler back into the rear and Merlin stood by the drivers side door, pouting and playing with the keys idly. Arthur heaved a sigh and shook his head ruefully.  
"Fine! Give me the keys." Merlin's smile was blinding, and if he gripped Arthur's hand for a second longer than necessary as he handed over the keys, Arthur pretended it didn't send heat like a wave over his skin.  
\--  
The music was soft, and the sun was low behind the clouds. Merlin had his feet on the dash and his head tilted back, hovering somewhere between dreams and wakefulness. Arthur was relaxed beside him, warm silence blanketing them as rain began to fall against the windows. It pattered down in a rhythmic lullaby, lulling Merlin closer and closer to sleep. He glanced over at Arthur from beneath his eyelashes for only a second before closing his eyes again and lending himself over to the world of unconsciousness.  
\--  
Arthur continued driving through the rain. Merlin was sound in sleep at his side, curled into himself on the passengers seat like a kitten, and the sky outside had darkened into a blanketing blackness as the night combined with the rain clouds. Arthur could see lightning flashing every so often in the distance, bright white illuminating the landscape in a way that was just as beautiful as it was eerie.  
He shot a glance sideways to Merlin. The darker-haired man had his arm curled beneath his head, supporting it, and was facing the drivers seat. Affection tugged in Arthur's chest and rippled outwards. In the contemplative darkness, Merlin looked like perfection.  
Arthur felt his throat constrict a little, fear and something entirely not fear mixing in him. He was used to the gentle affection he had for his best friend, of course, but now he could feel something else there too. It wasn't new, or sudden; it felt like something that had simply slipped through the cracks every time he'd evaluated his and Merlin's relationship in the past, now held firm in his consciousness. For the first time, Arthur felt a small settling sadness at holding the title of Merlin's best friend. He wanted more.  
Outside the sky flashed a sudden, blinding white, and an ear-splitting crack resonated from above the Jeep. Going fifty miles an hour, Arthur swerved on the wet asphalt just in time to avoid the large tree branch that came crashing down in the middle of the road. The entire Jeep lurched as he tried to put on the breaks; they skidded forward, and Arthur caught a glimpse of bright blue irises turned to him in panic before the windshield shattered and the world went still.

DAY 5

Arthur came to in small jolts. The first thing he felt was pain, aching throughout his entire body in a singular throb, and pinpricked over his skin like tiny darts.  
The second was confusion. He tried to remember where he was and what was going on.  
The third was panic. His eyes snapped open, and he was assaulted with the vision of chaos that was his car. There was naught but empty air where the windshield had been, and the front hood was essentially wrapped around the trunk of a large tree.  
The worst of it was Merlin.  
He was slumped in his seat, supported by the seatbelt across his chest. Shards of the windshield peppered the exposed skin on his face and arms, and he was bleeding from more than one place. The airbag expanded against his chest was already deflating, leaving him looking small and fragile. In the second it took to take it all in, Arthur was numb to his own pain.  
"Merlin?"  
He extracted his arm and reached over, shook Merlin by his bony shoulder. Merlin didn't react other than to sway limply at Arthur's shove, and Arthur's fear mounted to terror, clawing at his heart and making it difficult to draw breath. For a moment his thoughts went everywhere at once, and he was frozen in place. He swallowed and tried to breathe- felt like he was in a terrible nightmare. The kind where no one made it out alive. Then:  
"No," he fumbled for his seatbelt, yanking it away and nearly vaulting himself at Merlin. "Merlin, come on. Come on," his voice cracked, sounding ungodly loud in his own ears. He took Merlin's face in his hands, turned it towards himself, and bit back a sob. There was a gash above Merlin's right temple, wide and bleeding.  
"You can't- don't you dare, don't you fucking dare." He kept talking, trying to work through his panic to determine the appropriate course of action. They needed to get clear of the wreck, they needed to call for help.  
He leaned away from Merlin again, pained to do so, and worked his door open after what felt like an eternity of struggling with it. Losing his footing, stumbling from the car, feeling the rain numbly, he crossed to Merlin's side. The ground beneath him was wet and muddy, the night around him made of consuming darkness, and the air in his ears horrifyingly silent.  
He fought Merlin's door open and his throat closed immediately again at the sight of him. "Come on, Merlin, you can't do this. I'm sorry, okay? I'm fucking sorry, please don't do this now-"  
He hasn't done anything, chorused an awful voice in Arthur's mind, you're the one who crashed the car.  
"No," he moaned, and tried to shut down that part of his brain. There were painfully long minutes spent getting Merlin from the Jeep, Arthur barely trusting himself to touch his friend. He skirted his hands over the slight mans body, hooked an arm under his knees and lifted as gently as he possibly could. Merlin's head lolled and pressed against Arthur's bare neck, and Arthur could feel the blood against his skin. Only then did he notice the tears rolling over his cheeks.  
"Don't you fucking dare. Don't you do it. Gwen'll still kill us if Lance gets married without his best man. That's you, Merlin, you're the best man. Merlin, please. Oh God, please don't leave me, I swear to God, don't fucking leave me."  
He trembled in body and voice as he set Merlin down on the pavement. The man looked broken laid out. His head still bled and his face was void; not in serenity or sleep, but plainly void. Arthur was sure there were more injuries he could not see hidden beneath the ashen skin.  
Help.  
"Help."  
Their cell phones were in the car.  
He turned and went back, favouring his right leg greatly. Through the still-open passengers side door, he yanked open the glove-box. He knew Merlin kept his phone right there, in case of emergency.  
Please let there be service, he prayed silently as he punched the emergency call number. When it went through, he almost sobbed with relief.  
"What's your emergency?" A kind voice asked down the line.  
"Please, we're- we've crashed, my- he's not conscious and he's bleeding."  
"Can you put pressure on the wound?"  
Arthur went back to Merlin's side, dropping to the ground next to him. "Yeah. Please, send someone. He can't die, he can't. He's the best man." The pain was starting to seep back in around the edges of Arthur's numbness, his vision darkening. He pulled Merlin's head into his lap, still as gentle as possible, pressed a palm against the gash on his head, then realized the woman on the phone was talking.  
"I need to know your location, sir."  
Focus was fading as pain was settling back in, but he managed to tell the woman their whereabouts to the best of his abilities. He clutched Merlin closer, pressed his lips into the dark, matted hair. "Help is coming, Merlin," he said, knowing somewhere beneath his stupor that he should fight for consciousness, continue talking to the woman on the phone. But his leg burned like it was being held beneath a blowtorch and he could feel every breath he took swelling against his ribs like a punch in the stomach. "It's going to be okay, love, someone's coming."  
He was careful not to let Merlin's head fall as he lost consciousness.  
\--  
The light was piercing, even through closed eyes. It sent jolts of pain down Merlin's spine and through his skull, focusing like a nail under a hammer in his right temple. He cracked one eye, tried to figure out where he was, and why everything hurt. Images he didn't recognize and couldn't identify flashed above him.  
"Arthur," he tried to say, but heard it come out as more of a mumble. "Arthur?"  
He wanted to see Arthur's face. If he was dying, and that's what it felt like, he wanted to see Arthur's face one more time. It's my dying wish, he thought as the blood in his veins ran suddenly warm and darkness started to tinge his vision again. Surely everyone gets a dying wish. Then the world was gone again.

DAY SIX

Merlin came to all at once. He was warm and comfortable, lying down. Interestingly, not wearing pants. There was a dull throb in his head and his ribs ached. For a second he thought maybe he was in Arthur's bed after a night out (he never woke up hung-over in his own bed, he always went home with Arthur), but a moments consideration proved the sheets too scratchy and the light too bright. A moments more consideration and he remembered vaguely that he wasn't supposed to be in a bed at all.  
Stirring, he opened his eyes and found himself faced with a bright white light, which pricked in the back of his mind like something that should have been a memory.  
"Merlin?"  
His eyes snapped to the sound of the voice, and something simultaneously clenched and relaxed in his chest. Arthur was sitting three feet away, watching him, and looking absolutely wrecked. His eyes were puffed and red and there were small cuts covering his face and arms, his leg was in a cast and Merlin could see a crutch leaning against the arm of his chair.  
He pushed himself up into a sitting position and Arthur's eyes went round. "Where'm I? What happened to you?" Belatedly, he looked around and absorbed the room. White on white and a small muted television in the corner. A tray by his bedside and a bunch of medical machinery, which, on closer inspection, seemed to be hooked up to himself. There was a curious weight on his head. He reached up and felt thick padding over the right side of his skull.  
Arthur's eyes were still wide in a glassy, unbelieving way that Merlin had never seen before. Confusion plagued him. "Why am I in the hospital? Arthur, what's wrong?"  
Arthur blinked once, then seemed to kick into motion. He was on his feet, leaving his crutch behind, and at the door. "Nurse! He's awake!"  
A middle-aged woman with a heart-shaped face and light brown hair appeared in the hall. "How long has he been up?" She asked Arthur, who still hovered in the doorframe, as she entered the room.  
"Barely a minute. He- he was talking, his eyes are open," Arthur looked at Merlin as he spoke, as though he didn't believe the words he was saying.  
The nurse nodded and went to Merlin's bedside. "How are you feeling, sir?"  
It took Merlin a second to realize she was talking to him. "I'm- I'm fine. What's going on?"  
"You've been in an accident. You hit your head."  
Accident? Merlin tried to remember. Where was he supposed to be? There was something… important, and he was on his way. With a sudden jab of recollection he remembered Arthur's Jeep on the curb in front of his house. He turned to the blonde. "The Jeep?"  
Arthur's adams apple bobbed as he swallowed, then he nodded. Merlin wanted to ask again what happened, but the nurse cut him off before he could. Arthur continued hovering in the door while she told Merlin that they'd crashed, that he'd suffered some bruised ribs, a moderately serious concussion and an open-head injury, and that he was extremely lucky (she stressed this: extremely lucky) not to have been injured further. She said there had been a brief chance of him slipping into a coma, and that they hadn't been sure if he would be fully functional once he woke. He'd been unconscious for a day.  
Merlin listened to all of this, a little sluggish, then answered all her questions concerning his mental state. Just a little confused, he said. Small headache, he said. I can feel my toes and fingers, he said. My vision is fine, he said. Hearing too, he said. A little dizzy, he said.  
"You may experience some post-trauma symptoms, such as dizziness, headaches, difficulty concentrating, or fatigue, but they're nothing to worry too much over. If they persist, you should contact your doctor. You'll be clear to go in the morning," the nurse said, smiling sweetly.  
Merlin nodded and let her putter about him for a few more minutes, silent. When she left, he turned his attention back to Arthur. The other man was still hovering by the door, looking terrified and slightly lopsided as he stood on his casted leg. His eyes travelled over Merlin slowly, lingering for a long time on the bandages over his head before finally meeting his gaze.  
"I'm so sorry, Merlin." His voice sounded just as wretched as he looked; to Merlin, it sounded wrong.  
The darker-haired man shook his head. "No, Arthur, it's-"  
Arthur shook his head forcefully. "It is, Merlin. I crashed the fucking car. I had to call Gwen and Lance and tell them that I'd almost put their best man in a coma… That I'd almost killed you," his eyes got glassier as he spoke, and his voice harder. He looked as though he'd committed the greatest crime known to man, as though he was scared to get any nearer to Merlin's bedside for fear of hurting him further. Suddenly, Merlin could feel the distance between them palpably. He wanted Arthur to stop, he wanted Arthur to come closer. He didn't want to see Arthur tired and hurt and distraught.  
"Arthur, stop. Just… can you come here?"  
Arthur looked conflicted for a moment, torn between keeping Merlin at a safe distance and doing anything he asked. After a moment he limped forward. When he sat, he looked Merlin in the eyes again and said, helplessly, "I thought I'd lost you."  
Merlin wanted to tell him he hadn't, wanted to say that he'd come back for Arthur, wanted to laugh and joke and say Arthur would never get rid of him that easily, but he was still confused and dizzy and remembering- oh, right, Gwen and Lance's wedding- and his brain muddled-ly translated all the mixed signals into silence. Arthur then translated his silence into a request for justification.  
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. There was a bolt of lightning and I swerved off the road into a tree. I woke up and you were bleeding, you wouldn't wake up, I thought- I really thought I'd done it. I thought you were gone, you were so limp and it was terrifying, I couldn't breathe or think because I thought you were- I carried you from the car and you looked so broken, Merlin, I couldn't-"  
Merlin's brain changed it's translation, then. All at once, he jerkily surged forward and cut Arthur off with a press of his lips. Arthur sat rigid for a single second, then his hands were cupping Merlin's face delicately and his lips were answering Merlin's desperately.  
Merlin tried to reach over and pull Arthur closer, but was met with resistance as he pulled the IV inserted in his right hand taut. He was about to yank it free when Arthur pulled back, looking at the heart monitor behind him. The beeping had sped up, sending the thin line across the screen ascending and descending at an accelerated pace. Merlin turned to look at it, too, and felt his heart pounding in perfect sync with the LCD. After a moment it slowed and he looked back at Arthur, who would have looked amused if he hadn't looked so guilty.  
"It's not your fault. I don't blame you."  
Arthur nodded slowly, the hard lines of his face smoothing out. He looked Merlin over again, studying his face more intently, before he pressed another chaste kiss to his lips. "I thought I'd lost you," he said again, before wrapping careful arms around Merlin in an embrace and burying his face in the smaller mans neck.  
Merlin smiled for the first time since he'd woken up and patted his- not friend, he thought- on the back. "Can't get rid of me that easily," he said.

DAY SEVEN  
"We're cutting it pretty close," Arthur muttered, checking his watch for the fifth time in so many minutes as they got in line to board their flight.  
Merlin laughed at Arthur's stress. "Gwen and Lance booked the flight themselves, we'll be there in time. Anyways, they can't get married without their best man."  
Arthur pulled his gaze from his watch and grinned up at his- boyfriend? There remained only a shadow of his crippling guilt from the previous day hidden behind the expression; Merlin had made it very clear that he would not tolerate it.  
Merlin smiled back and, remembering that he could, kissed him gently. Arthur's hands fluttered up to his sides and they stood like that for the few moments it took for the line to start moving. When they broke apart, Merlin was grinning widely. Resisting the urge to grab him and kiss the breath out of him, Arthur rolled his eyes and presented his identification to the flight attendant.  
\--  
"Do you, Lance Delac, take Guinevere Thomas as your lawfully wedded wife, 'til death do you part, so long as you both shall live?"  
Lance's eyes didn't leave Gwen's as he slid the ring onto her finger. "I do."  
"And do you, Guinevere Thomas, take Lance Delac as your lawfully wedded husband, 'til death do you part, so long as you both shall live?"  
Gwen beamed as she repeated Lance's words and slid the band onto his finger in turn.  
The priest said his last piece, pronounced them man and wife, and told them to kiss. Lance leaned in for a chaste kiss, then at the last second grabbed Gwen by the waist and dipped her low in a sweet embrace. Arthur felt a grin spread over his face as they straightened up, and let his eyes wander to the man standing just behind Lance, grinning from ear to ear and looking like an absolute vision despite his bruises and still-bandaged head. When he looked up and caught Arthur's eye, the blonde couldn't help but think that Merlin looked like a love-struck sop; and as he followed his newlywed best friends out of the church, he took Merlin's hand and knew he looked the exact same.  
\--  
Arthur sat down next to Gwen, who was nursing a drink and beaming out at the dance floor, a flush tingeing her cheeks. In her wedding dress she looked radiant, and Arthur had never felt happier for her. She turned to him when he sat, still smiling.  
"You look beautiful," he told her, and her flush deepened.  
"Thank you," she said, then eyed him slyly. "You don't look so bad yourself, despite the leg. And Merlin looks positively dashing."  
It was Arthur's turn to flush. Unable to stop himself, he looked over to where Merlin was dancing with Morgana. Gwen was right. Merlin's slim figure was accentuated by the perfect cut of his suit, his pale (where it wasn't bruised) skin stood out against the inky darkness of the material. Arthur wondered how he'd never noticed the undeniable beauty in his best friend before, even as he attempted a dance-like shuffle that no one should ever attempt. (He thought maybe it was Merlin's attempt at a salsa.)  
"He doesn't look too ragged, I suppose," Arthur agreed as Morgana clutched her sides laughing at Merlin's dancing.  
Gwen rested her hand on top of his on the table and looked at him cloyingly. "It's about time." When Arthur raised an eyebrow at her she laughed, removing her hand from his to pat him gently on the cheek. "I can't even tell you how bored everyone was getting of waiting for you two to realize what we did a year ago."  
Arthur blushed again. "That long?"  
Gwen looked incredulous. "Arthur, you order his food for him whenever you go out! You buy his brand of toothpaste, and you bought a Jeep cause you knew Merlin would hate it. You're more of a couple than Lance and I."  
Unable to argue, Arthur continued to watch Merlin and Morgana's attempts at a jig. After a moment he asked, "Where is the happy husband?"  
"Oh, he's off socializing for a bit. I told him I wanted to sit and drink," she raised her glass to accentuate her words, and Arthur clinked his against it in toast. They drank deeply, setting down their glasses just as the song changed to one of a much slower pace. Arthur looked back to Merlin and bit his lip. It was only when Gwen prodded him in the side gently and said "Go," that he stood.  
He limped towards them across the floor, having forgone his crutch for the wedding, and Merlin greeted his presence with a wide smile.  
"May I steal this dance?" He asked Morgana, who arched an eyebrow despite the approving smile Arthur could see tugging at the corners of her lips.  
"I suppose," she sighed, "I have someone waiting for me anyways." She winked and started towards the table where a blonde girl (Elena, as she'd introduced her to Merlin and Arthur earlier) sat watching with a small smile and a drink in her hand.  
When she'd gone, Arthur took Merlin by the waist, earning a shocked look from the latter. "Really? What about your leg?"  
"We're not going to run a marathon, Merlin. Just sway back and forth a bit," he paused and pulled back fractionally. "Unless you're not feeling well."  
Merlin pulled him back in, wrapping lanky arms around his neck. "I'm up for a little swaying," he said softly.  
They danced in silence for a few minutes, and Arthur marvelled in the feel of Merlin's body against his. It filled him with the same unequivocal affection that had tugged at him a million times before, only now he could clearly see where it differed from anything he felt for anyone else; where it stopped being attachment and started being attraction.  
"How're you doing?" He asked to avoid drowning in his feelings.  
He felt Merlin's sigh against his neck. "I'm fine, Arthur. I promise I'm not going to spontaneously drop dead."  
Arthur rolled his eyes. "I was only asking because the nurse said you might suffer symptoms. And I'm pretty sure most concussed people don't go straight from the hospital to the dance floor."  
Merlin hummed and slid the pads of his fingers over the skin at the nape of Arthur's neck, sending a current of tingling heat from the area of contact all throughout Arthur's body. "I suppose your right," he said, voice suddenly low and breathy in Arthur's ear. "I am feeling a little woozy. Could go for a bit of a lie-down."  
Arthur couldn't help but laugh. Gwen had disappeared from the table they'd occupied earlier and Lance was no where in sight (he had one good guess at where they were), and Morgana was a few feet away twirling Elena around completely off-beat to the music. He'd ask his sister about her date later, he thought.  
"I don't think we'll be missed," he replied finally, and Merlin pulled back immediately and took his hand to lead him away.  
\--  
"I don't understand why we didn't do this sooner," Arthur breathed against Merlin's bare skin. He pressed his lips into the hollows at the nape of his neck, then against his collarbone and chest, gently kissing the bruises there as though he were trying to absolve all the hurt.  
"Something about friendship?" Merlin's voice was choked as his fingers trailed up Arthur's arms then curled over his shoulders, leaving faint scratches. Arthur paused in his descent to look up at him through his eyelashes.  
"You are not my friend," he said, his voice low, and Merlin laughed despite knowing the untruth of the statement, then hauled him back upwards to claim his mouth again.

DAY EIGHT

Merlin woke to the sound of Arthur's breathing. For a few moments he lay, motionless, listening. When he opened his eyes, the sight that met him made him want to stay there forever. Sunlight poured through the window at the opposite end of the room, crawling up the foot of the bed and bathing Arthur's. His skin, though still cut and bruised, was radiant in the new morning light. Merlin had seen Arthur naked before, of course, on more than a few drunken nights, but never like this. Possessiveness curled in his stomach, and he reached out to trail a hand down Arthur's arm, tracing the long marks he'd left there the night before.  
The blonde stirred and met his gaze, a sleepy smile spreading across his face. "Feels nice to wake up in a bed," he said, his voice thick.  
Merlin returned his smile easily. "I was just thinking that maybe our little accident was more of a blessing in disguise."  
"Oh yeah?"  
Merlin made a show of considering his next words. "Well, this way I get to sleep in a bed again tonight, rather than be stuck with you in that stupid Jeep."  
Instead of looking affronted, Arthur grinned. "Except you're still stuck with me."  
"But thank God that awful car is gone."

 

 

EPILOGUE

The road trip had been a necessary evil. Gwen stood on the curb, holding her stomach as she watched her husband loading their bags into their van.  
"They did this on purpose, you know," Lance said as he hefted the last bag into the back.  
Gwen laughed. "Oh, really?"  
Lance closed the trunk and turned to her, wiping his hands on the seat of his jeans. "Yes," he said. "They knew we'd be too pregnant to fly, that's the only reason they're doing this."  
"I like to think they're getting married because they love each other instead of just to inconvenience us."  
The man sighed as he rounded the car, standing in front of his wife and placing his hands on her sides gently. "You're always right," he amended softly.  
Gwen placed a soft kiss to his cheek and started towards the vehicle. "I know."  
Lance followed and went to the drivers side. "This wedding better be at least half as kick-ass as ours was." He said as he started them in motion.  
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Knowing Merlin and Arthur? I've no doubt that it's going to be very… interesting."


End file.
